With all the outrage regarding the NSA and PRISM leaks, what better way to put yourself in a good mood than to hear this bit of news: “Microsoft to pull complete reversal on Xbox One DRM Policies”. Can I hear a “WAHOO!”? This not only came as a surprise to many gamers, considering just days ago and countless interviews ago Microsoft promised no such changes to be implemented. In fact, being so proud of their system and it’s upcoming games and futuristic appeal, words from spokesmen such as Major Nelson include “No, we will not change anything about it, we are very proud of the system”.

But guess what? They are, and everything in fact. Honestly in disbelief when reading the headline I thought it was more about what they should do for consumers to want their product. However we already knew this from the beginning, when the numerous rumors came in and every upset Xbox user out there immediately opted out of the purchase and ultimately leaning towards the PlayStation 4. Who can you blame? Online only, no trading to backwards compatibility and last but not least, the always on Kinect. Besides being an annoying feature for users in general, with the recent internet privacy disclosures, that particular feature has been getting some hate.

Since the official release at E3, privacy advocates have been thoroughly up in arms regarding the manner it watches and listens to its users at all times. In Microsoft’s defense, the “always on” Kinect was aimed to aid the gamer if and when a hand gesture or voice command was initiated. Despite what Microsoft wanted as far as the Kinect connectivity (yes, pun intended), lawmakers are initiating a new bill to ban the always on Kinect idea, essentially requiring an opt-in option.

Ironically enough, hours after this information was released, the 180 (yay for puns) Microsoft officially implemented changes everything. It changes everything the gamer will experience when playing on the One, it changes a lot of the disagreement and upset regarding the console’s DRM release, but it also demonstrates something amazing. Especially in a very specific time that internet privacy and unhappy consumers are enraged, Microsoft, so very surprisingly, listened to it’s consumers. Not only have the complaints been surging for months since rumors began, the E3 release undoubtedly had lot to do with their private decision to change for the better. Incredibly similar to society’s realization of the NSA spy acts, it is the perfect example of a company realizing they did the wrong thing. Most importantly, they changed it for the better. This, although not as extreme as the government leaks, is an incredible movement, especially for a corporation who just days ago defended their product with 100 percent confidence.